President Biden comes out swinging
It’s been just over a month since President Biden took office, but the differences between this administration and the previous one are already beginning to show. While working on additional COVID relief for small businesses aside from the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the administration has also announced a new set of guidelines for Immigration Customs Enforcement officials to follow – ones that could prevent the deportation of thousands of people currently working in the U.S.
These policies will be in effect for up to 90 days while the agency works at setting long-term measures, such as requiring field office supervisors to sign off on the arrests of people who are not an immediate case priority for the department. The guidelines for deportation are even stricter than the ones set in place during the Obama administration and could protect up to 87 percent of unauthorized immigrants, letting them live without fear of being deported and allowing them the opportunity of pursuing their dreams in America.
More importantly, the new policy directives could reshape the department for years to come, allowing field directors to act as negotiators who play a more active role in operations and usher in the way for reforming immigration enforcement. Under the previous administration, the only ones spared from potential deportation were DACA recipients, even while that program faced a considerable legal battle. In just four years we could see things change for the better as long-term policies come into being.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making